Sixteen Songs
by abhorrent
Summary: AkuRoku, Zemyx, RikuSo: And, as the redhead drabbled on in his song about his crew and their white rapist van, Roxas knew he had almost fallen in love at that very moment. For MELEIYU
1. Track One

_**This story is dedicated to the fantastical **_Meleiyu_**. Why? Because her stories make me happy on the inside. D:**_

_**Pairings: AkuRoku, Zemyx, RikuSora, and maybe others. Who knows? I'm a rather spontaneous person.**_

_**Warnings: LOTS O' MAN-LOVING. That's "Boy-on-Boy," to you all. Don't like, then why are you even reading this? Lots of swearing (any readers of mine should know my affinity for swear-words), and the occassional cigarette. Why? I don't know.**_

_**Blah, blah.. I don't own jack-squat. I somewhat own the song, but not the concept for it..**_

* * *

_"If people knew who the angels were, they would be very nice when they saw one and would still do their same evil garbage when they thought none were around. Knowing who they are defeats the purpose." _

-What Happened to Lani Garver

* * *

"Sora," A blond teenager, whose name in particular was Roxas, dragged out the final vowel in a high-pitched voice. He dragged his feet along the concrete, his sandals kicking up frozen snow, among other pleasantries that had previously graced the pavement. His shoulders slumped, and the boy seemed to be attempting to melt into the curb. 

Sora, his twin brother, could only roll his eyes at the immature acts the other was performing. "Roxas, quit it. You can't mope around for the rest of your life, now. Am I right?" He flipped his hair, in a way that screamed the boy's lack of an attraction to a woman, and sent Roxas a quizzical look.

"You don't know Jack, shit.." The boy frowned, a woman-esque pout forming on his lips. Crossing his arms, he huffed and ceased his movement. "I _don't wanna. _No, no, no!"

The brunette turned roundabout, and had a look that promised doom. His left eye even twitched a little. "Roxas, I swear to all of the higher entities that I cannot see, that I will hang you from your_balls_. Do you understand me? Huh? _I_needed to get out of the house just as badly as _you_ do." And, to show the blond he meant what he said, he ever-so-discreetly began to finger off his right glove. "I've seen _Hard Candy_.."

The blond squeaked, before ripping off at an abnormal speed. He nipped his brother's shoulder in his haste, causing Sora to fall, face-first, into a pile of ice-layered snow. Said boy squawked to no avail, before claiming revenge.

Once Roxas was safe inside the small coffee shop, located inside a larger Borders, he made sure to situate himself in an isolated location. Why? Because it provided a good hiding place. Obviously.

But, as Roxas soon noted, Sora didn't storm in after him. Instead, he stormed in, but was tackle-hugged by a kid who had a huge-ass guitar strapped to his back. The brunette didn't even seem phased by it, only screamed in delight once he realized who the culprit was. They hugged, danced in circles, and looked ready to have a make-out fest right then and there, if it weren't for an _extremely_ emo-looking kid glided over and separated the two. The tackler looked embarrassed.

"Who the hell..?" Roxas, being one to talk to himself out loud, asked. He cocked his head to the side, trying to remember who, in the past week they'd been inhabiting the large, boisterous city known as Hollow Bastion, Sora could've met. Let's see: Monday, Sora and Roxas went food shopping for mommy; Tuesday, Sora and Roxas stayed home and played _Sitar Hero III_ for the CBox 360; Wednesday, Sora and Roxas moped about the house, due to Roxas' well-named "Emo-Day"; Thursday, Sora and Roxas played even more _Sitar Hero_; and today was Friday.

"Odd.."

So, being the ever-curious child, himself, Roxas, with the grace and pizazz of an old man on crack would pertain, stumbled over toward his twin. And, as he smacked heads with Sora, he found that his trip had been relatively simple.

"Roxy!" Sora whined, rubbing his forehead. "What's your problem?"

"Who're they?" Roxas, who pretended that his brother's hard head had not affected him in the least, pointed at the two with a look of distaste. He hated strangers, and was rather rude when they never introduce themselves-- Even if the blond had given them a surprising entrance.

"You don't remember us?" The emo-one raised an amused brow, while the other ('_Is that a mullet _and_ a Mohawk? What a freak!'_) looked completely heartbroken. Roxas sent the two a rather bland look, and stood straight.

He rolled his eyes. "If I had remembered you, I wouldn't have asked, then. Right?"

"I suppose that is a true fact." Emo-man nodded, his pensive ace contemplating the word's that had spewed from Roxas' mouth as if he had spoken the true meaning of life. The blond just had to roll his eyes.

Sora was quick to cut in, though. He gave his brother a light shove. "Do you remember that touring job we took last summer? When we lived back on Destiny Islands?" The 'Duh, Bitch,' face he received was all the motive to continue. "Well, don't you remember _Demyx?_The one who got a little _too_ excited over Iago, and then almost killed himself by attempting to hop off of the bus after him?"

It was then that realization it, and Roxas made the most intelligent face ever. He mouth morphed into a goofy, drool-inviting form, and his eyes squinted as his brows rose. He then laughed, only somewhat semi-retarded. Soon followed was the sheepish look. "Hi Demyx, Zexion."

Demyx chose that exact moment to strike, crushing his fellow blond in a hug. "Roxas! Omigod, it's been ages! I've missed you, even though you've never returned my letters!"

Another graceless laugh, followed by a cracked-out apology; after all, Roxas couldn't even breathe. Demyx released the shorter child and laughed. "Like I said: I've already forgiven you." Roxas shot him a grateful smile in the middle of his oxygen-feeding frenzy.

And it seemed that Zexion made it fit to make his presence noticed, for he skulked up on the teen and gave him a good ol' slap on the back; his face far too happy about the stagger that ensued. "Same here, squirt."

"Oh,_hells naw!_" Now it was time for both of the twins to be offended. Both crossed their arms and put on some sort of wanna-be Zoolander face. Sora snapped his fingers and rolled his neck, while Roxas planted his feet rather brusquely. "We ain't short, foo'!"

"Uh.. Okay?"

And, as any convenience would have it, a smooth, playful voice came over the speakers. "All-righty, then, folks! I am officially ready to play!"

Laughter ensued, followed by cheers and yips; one girl even shouted, "Take your clothes off, baby!" The party of four also averted their attention to the speaker, who had a guitar strap wrapped around broad shoulders, earning a large contrast with his slim hips. Roxas gave an appreciative whistle; if that man were ever to dress in drag, he'd be convinced.

"Is that him?" Sora looked to Zexion for confirmation. The teen made a non-committal grunt, before nodding and giving the singer all of his attention. Roxas only raised a brow at the "conversation," and Sora only shook his head and smiled.

"My name is Axel, and I am your entertainment for tonight." The teen, whose pale face was surrounded by a mane of red tresses, raised his brows in a suggestive manner. "But, you perverts, don't get any thoughts. My sex is not for sale, because I have yet to become that poor." More laughter, followed by catcalls and requests for his number.

"Alright, guys, don't get too rowdy. I haven't even started playing music." As if to prove his point, he strummed his acoustic. Roxas snorted, he seemed to be some sort of prick with a stuck-up attitude. Stupid fucks and their good looks.

"Well, to make sure you're all going to, uh, _like_ what I sing, I shall start out with a song that I personally love." And, yet again, the redhead waggled his brows, before turning toward another teen with silver hair. "I ask that my sexy stud of a man-friend Riku come up here, and join me. The song we are about to sing is about his father's creepy, white rapist-van. You know, the Rapist-mobile? Yes, and Riku drives it. But," he let out an almost-dejected sigh, "we don't pick up small children. Instead, we take a bunch of hardcore kids with us and beat up random people. You know, your typical old lady, or punk-ass." Another round off guffaws and giggles.

"So, I'd like to present to you, 'The Van..'"

Leaning against a row of books, Roxas crossed his arms and gave the redhead his undivided attention. This sounded interesting enough..

"_When you're walking down street on any other day,_"

Axel began to strum a medium-paced, fun beat. People in the crowd began to clap and sing along.

"_You better watch your ass as a white van comes your way,_  
_We will kick you, de-prick you, and defile you as we please,_  
_All because we don't have our own asses to sque-eeze._" 

The singer paused dramatically, trying to keep that shit-eating grin that threatened to form on his face. In the midst of his pause, he nodded to Riku, who coughed into his palm and nodded.

"_We're gonna kick your ass in our VAN,_  
_Our van, our van, our van, our van! (The White rapist van)._  
_The van, the van, the van, the van_  
_Don't fuck with us while we're in our van!_

_(The. White. Rap-ist. Van)!_"

Roxas' heart almost burst, and he broke out into a fit of laughter. He didn't know what was going on, or why he felt better now than he had all week, but he knew it had to do with that semi-retarded song. "O-Oh my god, Sora. I think I'm in love!"

Axel strummed his guitar twice, his face serious and lips thin. He cast a wary eye toward the crowd, before smirking.

"_Don't matter if you're white, black, Chinese or Japanese--_

_If you look at our van wrong we'll be sure to break your knees!_  
_We've got lead pipes and our very own ninja skills,_

_We'll push any broken-hearted emo to finally overdose on them pills!_"

He broke out into his chorus again, as everyone in the tiny area began to clap and sing along. Sora threw an arm over Roxas' shoulder and began to shout the lyrics back, wearing a goon-grin on his face. Roxas couldn't help but share his brother's contagious smile and shout right along with him.

Axel broke back into a breakdown of the goings-on with his van, and how it smells like fish, before signing the chorus again and giving the ending riff to his little song. The crowed, including a now-enthusiastic Roxas, clapped and yipped in appraisal. Some soccer moms sipped their Mochas and sent the redhead disapproving glances, while their children began to spew lines from the song.

"Well," Axel cleared his throat and chuckled, somewhat embarrassed. Everyone in the room (sans the soccer-moms) smiled warmly at him. "that's the first song. I have about.. Sixteen more to go? That includes 6 covers and 10 originals." Some people clapped, obviously for no reason. "Well, now for the shameless advertising. Axel needs food, in order to be alive. If Axel's alive, he can write songs. Axel's mommy eats all of Axel's food, and Axel's still in high school. Therefore, Axel has no food, and a crappy job. Feed Axel, by buying Axel's CD. The lovely manager of this fine establishment has showed goodwill and put my CD's up for grabs in their little shop. So, go buy one! All money shall go to me!"

When no one moved, Axel looked absolutely crestfallen. "Oh, fine. Three more songs, and then I shall threaten you into buying my shit. How's that?" There were murmurs of agreement, and the teen rolled is emerald eyes. "Jerks."

"Play 'Detachable Penis'!" One teen called, grinning stupidly. Axel blushed, and shook his head. Roxas snorted at the bashful gesture.

"It's too early, dude! There are still young children here!" As he said that, all of the young children began chanting the phallus' nickname, much to the adults' chagrin. Axel just laughed in a bright, vibrant way. Roxas almost blushed. "Okay, then. The children speak! Here's the acoustic version.."

He went on to sing the song, with all of the fans of King Missile's genius screaming along the words with him. Roxas was just too enthralled with the stimulating atmosphere, the noises and the people. It was much more mellow and laid-back that Destiny Islands, which was always full of hormonal parties with choking music and a thick air. Roxas couldn't even recall all of the times he'd been thrown up on, or all of the times he'd been fish bowled high on accident.

But here, it was just a relaxing aura. People were smiling, holding hands and just being normal. No acts, no drunks who seemed to make the entire room awkward. Roxas loved it. And he hoped that he could stay here forever.

* * *

Over three hours had passed, Roxas realized, until Axel had finally finished his act. Three hours, because he ended up playing thirty-two songs, instead of the original sixteen. And, even though his voice had come to resemble a toad halfway through it, it was a memorable occasion for all. 

Roxas, along with his merry band of men, were now resting in the comfortable sofas beside where the redhead was singing. Zexion was nose-deep in a book, while Demyx lay passed-out on the man's lap. Roxas sat parallel to them, with Sora resting cross-legged between his legs. He was massaging his brother's soft hair, a soft smile gracing his tanned and beautiful features.

Axel sighed, laughing. His laughter was no longer audible, though. All of his singing had rendered his voice damn-near mute. "Okay, guys, that's enough. If I sing one more song, I fear that I shall have no more voice.." To prove his point, he trailed off, pretending to speak words. Several people made joking comments about his sexuality, only to get flipped off by a laughing redhead.

"Okay, then. I don't know what else to say. Buy my CD, and then come see me next Saturday at the Park!" With that, he walked away from his microphone, and the crowd dispersed. He gently put away his guitar, turned around, and was then given a full-body tackle from an overly-exuberant Demyx.

"Yeah, Axel! You rocked hard, man!" The mulleted teen squealed, hugging his best friend again. Axel mocked annoyance, and kicked the blond off of him. "Down, Demyx! Bad boy!"

Demyx, in pseudo-offense, glared playfully at the signer. "Well, you have a shitty voice. Poor Sora and Roxas' ears were bleeding!" He made a vague gesture in the direction of the duo. Axel looked lost.

"Who and what, now?"

"Sora," Sora bounded up beside him, wearing one of the largest, brightest grins Axel had ever seen. But, he couldn't help but grin back. Was this kid's smile an infection, or something?!

"And I'm Roxas!" Sora's stunt-double (if you leave out of account the blond-ness) grabbed his brother by the collar and heaved him backwards. He sent the redhead a not-as-crazy grin. "I'm the calm one."

"It all makes sense, now." Axel smirked at the two, moving up to pinch both of their noses. He laughed at the sour expression his action received. "So, how old are you? Twelve?"

"The fuck?" Roxas glared at the man, soon followed by Sora's less-harsh one. Axel gulped, and made a mental note to not offend the twins. Ever. "We're sixteen, you jerk! We're in the same grade as you!"

"I'm seventeen.."

"So? We started early." Roxas seemed to mellow out a bit, and Sora was already grinning like a fool.. At Riku. Riku, in turn, looked a tiny bit abashed.

"Uh, hi?" Riku offered an awkward smile, feeling completely out of place at the moment. Sora's scrutinizing gaze was not something he ever wanted to be caught in. That kid's eyes were too blue, it freaked the silver-haired teen out. "I'm Riku?"

"Do you not know your own name?" Roxas bit out, only to wince as the remark left his lips. He had to learn to keep that damn attitude at home, along with his man-thongs. Speaking of which, he had a major wedgie, and it was not too comfortable for him at the moment. Was there a possibility of him disappearing for about several seconds?

Riku looked shocked at the quick remark that was thrown at him. His mouth went agape, and he gave Roxas a fish look. But, thankfully, Sora jumped in. He pushed his twin into the nearest table and laughed. "Oh, Roxy! You're such a klutz!" In the following second, Sora broke out in nervous chuckles, hoping to provoke a reaction from anyone.

It did. The whole party, including bystanders who happened upon the scene, broke out into snorts and giggles. Axel choked on his water, even. "Oh, oh man! That's righteous!" The redhead embraced Sora, laughing even harder. "I think you two are my new best friends. Forget Demyx!"

Demyx floundered about momentarily, looking heart-broken. "Wh-What?! But, I thought you loved me!"

"I do," Axel nodded, "but Roxas over there's got that spunk, and Sora's just a riot! They're made of so much more win!" Both of the twins blushed, though Roxas looked a bit envious of the bear-hug Sora was receiving. Axel seemed to hear his signals, and released the brunette; sauntering over toward the blond, and offering a hand.

"Need a lift, shorty?" Axel smirked at Roxas, who returned the gesture with a mocking grin of his own. And, as he reached up for the hand and grabbed it, he allowed a swift kick to one of Axel's knees.

The man squawked and flailed about, before falling down atop the blond. Zexion only laughed and persuaded Demyx to scream out, "Timber!"

But, Roxas was tight-lipped, his face smooshed against Axel's own. The redhead attempted to look sexy, his smirk biting into Roxas' cheek. "Hey, there. Isn't this a comfortable position we've stumbled upon together, eh?"

And, it seemed that all Roxas could do was laugh..

Before shoving the redhead off of him, and screaming.

"You can't have my virginity, you nasty pervert!"

And thus was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

* * *

_**Whoa, was that dragged on. The ending was BLAAHHHHH, but forgive me. I need toast. I promise the next chapter will be, er, better.**_

_**HERE'S TO MELEIYU! Now, update yo' stories! (Joking, but seriously).**_

_**Review? Tell me what you like, dislike, or just say "akjdas."**_

_**'Till next time!**_


	2. Track Two

**Dedication:**This story is still dedicated to Meleiyu. Why? Simple. She's too sexy for her shirt. Too sexy for her shirt. So sexy, it hurts.

Woo! Thank you to all of my reviewers! You don't know how much reviewing means to me. I love it when people take time out of their lives to say how they feel about my stories:D

To 321, midnight, and TeAroha sorry that I couldn't respond. But, thank you so very much for reviewing. (:

I WANT CONAN O'BRIEN AS MY HUSBAND. WE CAN BE REDHEADED, IRISH, FREAKISHLY TALL, EXTREMELY AWKWARD PEOPLE TOGETHER. Please, don't shoot. I am but 5'10".

If I were to own this wonderful franchise, then it would be illegal on six continents.

_**-**_

"_Playing music is supposed to be fun. It's about heart, it's about feelings, moving people, and something beautiful, and it's not about notes on a page. I can teach you notes on a page, I can't teach you that other stuff._"

-Glenn Holland (_Mr. Holland's Opus_)

* * *

Roxas clapped his phone shut in with a face agog and eager. In a haste, he twisted his torso so that he spun aimlessly to make a ninety-degree turn. And, with equal fervor, he slapped his hands on the cherry wood table. He almost winced at the nipping bite he received from the table, as said object had felt its deal of the algid air of the North-Eastern winter. 

But, there were more important matters at hand-- matters that, according to Axel, involved warm clothes.

With the brightest smile he could afford, he aimed it directly at his twin brother, who could only muster up a lackadaisical response. Said twin also placed down his spoon and pushed aside his Raisin Bran. There were obviously more important proceedings at hand.

"Axel said that he's going to pick us up in half an hour. He also said-- and I quote!-- wear a warm enough ensemble so that even a man in subzero temperatures could sweat." Roxas finished his quoting with a rather ambiguous, yet accomplished look.

Sora could only perform the gesture that many a schoolgirl had accomplished-- he rolled his eyes heavenward and about, with a rather irritable look on his face. Not to say he wasn't excited, it was just the mere fact that Sora and cold weather fair as well together as a group of homophobes caught in the midst of a gay pride parade. In layman's terms, there would be blood.

But, in his defense, it's miserable to leave a Hawaiian-like utopia, only to arrive in a congested, monotonous, frostbitten droll of a city. It was enough to commit any man to thoughts of homicide.

"So, where are we going?" The question was asked as though it were only to break the silence. Roxas wondered if Sora were awake yet. To cease any further musings into Sora's crabby mood, Sora was not a morning person. Rather, he was far from it.

Now, why would Sora not be his ol' chipper self? Well, the answer lies vaguely between the lines of x and y. Someone as convival and back-slapping as Sora cannot be in such a positive attitude at all hours. If he were to try, it would quite possibly land him a stint in the mental institution. Hence, in a compact and rather unhelpful insight, that is why Sora was grumpy.

"I dunno," Roxas' reply finally arrived, as the shoulders were shrugged in a rather nonchalant fashion. Roxas tended to want to look as apathetic as possible without going overboard and hitting "emotastic." "That's all he told me."

"Oh," Sora, having taken a rather dangerous gulp of scathing-hot coffee, flashed Roxas an endearing smile. "That's okay. I'm sure it's in our best interest they didn't tell us. I love surprises!"

"I hate them," Roxas muttered in a rather discordant manner, his lips pursing together as he stood. "Okie Dokie, then. I'm off to dress. Are you going to, also? Or shall you grace them in your Hello Kitty pajamas?"

Sora made an almost discreet squeaking noise and made a beeline toward his room, which stood enface de Roxas'. Aforementioned blond could only snort in a half-heared fashion at his brother's antics. If the FBI were to ever walk through the door on any given day, they would surely doubt that his brother held any human sanity. He would probably be committed for testing, and turn out to be some sort of mutant wildebeest, or something along the lines.

Roxas started toward his closet, dragging his feet along the pastel-green carpet that marred the floor of his otherwise masculine room. It was an impossible-to-believe story as to the surfacing of this color; but to dumb it down a bit it involved a highly-intelligent gypsy with a groovy, psychedelic taste for the 70's. But, hakuna matata.

In some sort of inane haste, Roxas ripped through his highbrow and très chic closet, pulling out a rather lowbrow pair of patched-up jeans. He had had that very pair of jeans since he could remember he liked fashion. He pulled them on with a rather auspicious look in his eyes-- he had not had a proper time to wear his well-dubbed "hippie" jeans (which, thanks to Hayner, was given the lovely name John Lennon. And, yes, Hayner _did_ give accessories names). So, he felt a certain fondness as he slipped on his John Lennon jeans. He opted for his gray Che Guevara shirt, feeling somewhat rebellious and crazy this morning. And, as he rummaged around for something to wrap around his neck, he pulled out his navy and gray shemagh that Sora had purchased for him last Christmas, adding on that he had dubiously purchased his own, so they could be close.

It was, in reality, an excuse for Sora to use a _Forrest Gump_ quotation: "We can be closer than peas and carrots."But, Roxas didn't mind. And, seeing as every trendy hipster he knew had just purchased one, he assumed that it was in style. And, seeing as Sora's nonconforming lifestyle and passionate loathing of major corporations, he didnt think his brother to wear it, also.

With a rather complacent look gracing his light features, Roxas made a little skip out of the bedroom. He sauntered back in the direction of the kitchen to make sure his black Timberland's were still present, when he caught eyes of his brother.

Now, even though Sora shopped at the local thrift store, and would rather die than be caught conforming to the norm (though, in his opinion, normalcy is a government conspiracy), Sora knew how to dress sharp. Like now, he stood in acid-washed jeans and an organic tee that he had bought, with the utmost pride, over the internet. He wore a red shirt that held a picture of a black AK-47 with a daisy coming out of the barrel.

But, what he didn't notice was how Sora's face had taken on an almost-gruesome feature. He was holding up a pair of teeming-soaked socks. "Roxy, my lovely brother with whom I had held the pleasures of sharing our mother's uterus with. Could you please elaborate as to _why_ my socks were all sharing a compartment in the flower bed outside of my window?"

The blond, having suddenly received an apprehensive style about him, took several steps back for good measure. Sora was quick to act, and had a rather inhumane arm. Yes, Sora could move mountains with his arms.

But, at a convenient and ass-saving time, a car horn beeped from an indistinct location.

* * *

The first noise that penetrated Roxas' ears was the deafening screech that should never have reached that high a pitch; seeing as it came from a male speaker. All heads around the vicinity turned to gawk at the forest green Honda Civic, and more specifically at Demyx. It was then that Zexion's hand wormed its way behind the mulleted teen's head, and he received a nice whack on the noggin. 

Roxas made it to the car just in time to see Demyx reel forward and smack his head against the armrest. Sora seemed to have arrived on impact as well, for he let out a jolly fit of laughter. "Ouch!"

"Shut up," Demyx whispered, as he rubbed his forehead gingerly. He sent Zexion a looked that screamed bloody murder, but otherwise kept his lips uncharacteristically sealed.

Axel winked at the newest addition to the duo, shooting them both a cocksure smile. He made sure to give them a thumbs-up. "Howdy-doody, y'all! Why don't you squeeze up back there, because Riku's a fat-ass and laid claim to shotgun."

Riku cursed something akin to "bitch-nigga" underneath his breath, but his derisive tone was only given in a playful manner.

"Nice one, Thunder Thighs," Sora joked, as he squeezed in next to Demyx. Roxas followed suit, and looked over at the other three who occupied the back seat. It was then that he noticed Demyx leering at everyone's favorite brunette with a goofy smile on his face.

"Ohmigawd, ohmigawd, ohmigawd!" Demyx clapped his hands with the fervor of a six year old on crack-cocaine. He even jumped around a bit in his seat. "You're just gonna love what we have in store you you! Sl--" the remainder of his sentence was smothered by Zexion's mitten-clad hand.

Axel swiped a fly-swatter from the dashboard and waved it around menacingly. "Demyx, do you want to get swatted, again?"

And, when Demyx's head flailed about that showed that he did _not_ want to be swatted, Axel took off. His tiny car whizzed down the street, hitting 40 in a 20 mp/h zone. It was the typical driving that was such a common occurrence that allowed innocent bystanders to overlook what would be deemed as "excessive speeding."

It turned out that it had been completely irrelevant for the Fab Four to pick up the twins. The ride had lasted about a total of two minutes, and that was including stop signs. They had stopped beside the local reservoir, which lay grace to hills that overlapped and slopped downwards; recently garnished in a fresh coat of pure white snow. Several families had already arrived, and only about a handful were able to climb to the top.

It was then that both of the twins' eyes lit up like a firework in mid-August. The stood with all of the energy and awe of small children, never being able to actually sled in their entire life. It was in stories, though.

"Sl-Sledding?!" Sora began to yip and hop about in his seat, grabbing a now shell-shocked Riku into a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you all so much! I love you!"

Roxas felt inclined to do the same, but all of his joviality caused him to thrust the door open with an ungodly excess of force and bound out in a graceful leap. He danced over toward the trunk-- where he assumed that the sleds were being held hostage-- and began to pummel onto the hood.

Axel, not wanting Roxas to harm his baby, quickly acquiesced to Roxas' demands. The hood popped open and the blond grabbed the first on his saw. It was a green garbage-hood-turned-saucer, and Roxas did not even care to comment. He just flew past the rest of his troupe and embarked on his quest to reach the top of the so-called "double-decker."

So-called "double-decker" was given to the large, sloping hill that took up most of the space. It sloped down once, flattened out about six or seven feet, before sloping downward again. There it was given a good few yards of space, before fencing off all around.

Roxas, with a new adrenaline rush, made a feeble attempt to sprint up the hill. But, the attempt was made in vain. Due to the excess rain and freezing over, there was a good inch or three of ice hidden below the snow.

Roxas got a good halfway up the first hill, before hitting a bare patch of ice and flipping onto his back; proceeding to slide downward with a despairing look on his face. Sora, who had arrived just in time to see Roxas' face disappear into a heap of snow, gave a mocking laugh.

"Well, now, what's the matter? Is wittle baby Roxy too wittle to wide the big-bwoy swopes?"

"Just you wait," Roxas growled out, emerging from the snow just in time to be pulled onto his feet by Axel. "Let's see you do it, Sora!"

With a wink, Sora took off toward the hill. But, sadly, karma was not happy with him. He made it about three feet higher than Roxas, before his legs inched apart and his fell flat on his face. Squawking, he began to claw audaciously at the snow, on his hands and knees as he tried to crawl up the hill.

But, he hadn't succeeded. And, every person after that had failed to accomplish their goal. All but Zexion; who, using his wit and cunning, noticed the fencing that leg up the first hill and meandered over toward it.

And, as the rest squabbled and altercated amongst themselves, Zexion readied himself on his rainbow-colored sled. Without a word of warning, Zexion pushed himself off of the first hill, barreling toward the unsuspecting group below.

It was Axel's screech of terror that had alerted their tiny gang that there was, indeed, a man shooting down like a kamikaze toward them. Scattering, they watched as a laughing Zexion zipped past them, before braking with his feet.

"Use the fence," was the terse answer to all of their mental inquiries.

Then, after the general group realized that they could use that to their benefit. So, having triumphed in having tamed the beast of a hill, they attacked the second one; more cautious than before.

"I.. I did it!" Axel began to jump around as he crawled to the top of the second hill. His snow-covered buttocks wiggled about, and he blew raspberries at the rest of the group. He sang some Janis Joplin, before placating himself on his sled.

Then, he was off.

He took off downward, his slim form allowing him to glide down the slope with ease. He hit the flat lightly before flying off onto the second slope, getting several inches off of the ground. Laughing wildly, he continued to slide past everyone else, before someone screamed that he was breeching the area of fence.

Noticing that, indeed, there was a fence going in his way; Axel rolled off of his sled as it hit the red fence with the speed of a hyena. He sat up, screaming "Holy fuck!" He broke off into a fit of amazed laughter. "I shot down the mofo, man!"

Demyx, who had finally succeeded in breeching the top of the double-decker, took down ona donut. He noticed, as he began racing down the hill, that Sora was climbing up in arm's reach. So, he grabbed said teen's pant leg and laughed as Sora squawked and was brought down along with him, his body being abused by the bitter snow as they sped down.

When the landed, after Demyx had managed to flip over and white wash himself, many people were pointing and laughing at Sora's flushed face. But it wasn't as though Sora was mad, just surprised.

"Ready," Roxas gave his garbage lid a little head start, before chasing after it and hopping on in a pseudo-snowboarding move. He made a clean sail through the first half of the slope, before stumbling on the flattened surface and rolling down the other half.

It followed on as such for three hours straight, before Axel finished off the day with the biggest accident of all. Now, of course, every member of the party had received a cut or a bruise from their antics. Sledding had become some sort of "X-treme" sport to them.

Axel, whose body allowed for some sort of aerodynamic speeding-- as though he were on a toboggan-- was narrowly avoiding the pesky fences. So, as he beat Roxas and Zexion to the top of the hill and took off, he was wearing his victory grin.

So caught up in his winning he was, that he did not notice as his sled made some sort of beeline for one of the metal poles that held the fence up. And, before anyone could scream for him to jump off, his back kissed hard metal and the recoil sent him about a foot from the scene of the accident.

He fell off of the sled with his face marred in agonizing pain. He lay on his side, hissing and cursing and screaming at whatever gods would listen. Any person who had been around had heard the fairly boisterous sound his body made when it slammed straight into the pole. All of his friends came rushing down toward him.

"Fuck, man, you all right?" Roxas kneeled down beside Axel, whose eyes were screwed shut. All the redhead could do was nod, as his back remained arched and he laid there for minutes after.

Zexion, who was getting fairly famished, let out some sort of fed-up sigh. He began to lift the lithe redhead up. "C'mon. I'll drive Wanda, okay?"

"Just don't crash her?" Axel made a sort of half-grimace as he blew out his plea. Zexion nodded, before dragging the corpse-like Axel back toward the vehicle. Demyx just skipped behind them with the twins, talking animatedly about squirrels.

As they drove home, Riku popped in his Janis Joplin CD-- much to Sora's surprise-- and jammed out "Me and Bobby McGee;" humming out the parts that needed be.

* * *

Since the twins' house was the closest of all, the myriad of boys decided it best fit to make rest there. The forest green abomination came to a slow, growling halt as the brakes decided it best to finally just fail. It swerved on ice momentarily, before Zexion used some sort of l33t driving skills and caused it to cease and desist in its rebellious movements. 

The group hopped out of the car and made their way into the warm and inviting house. It smelled like gingerbread men, Demyx pointed out-- loud enough for anyone and everyone to hear. They kicked off their shoes and peeled off their jackets, standing in all of their soaked and sopping jeans and partially-dry tees. Sora, always one to spaz, had insisted that they put on some of their jogging pants.

They wouldn't fit, all of them had exclaimed, due to the fact that their new friends could pass off as hobbits. Sora and Roxas had taken that offense to heart, and proceeded to change into warm, comfortable clothes in revenge.

They walked out just in time to see Axel and Demyx begin to tear through their kitchen cabinets; in a ravenous mission to find the hot chocolate mix. Roxas had rushed back into his room and grabbed a slipper, and proceeded to beat both the redhead and the mohawked-one on the head with said fluffy object.

Sora, on the otherhand, decided it best to set up the kettle.

"Sora," Zexion said, rolling his eyes. "if you show those two nimrods kindness, they will devour your soul with every possible scenario. You will go insane, and commit mass murder. Just. Don't."

"Oh, they're not that ba-"

"Yes, Sora. Yes they are." Riku's face was grave, suddenly growing bags underneath his eyes; like his body was trying to show Sora the turmoil he was to endure. Sora could only laugh.

"You guys are so silly!" He began to hum the previous Janis song, shaking his hips like they were in the midst of the macarena. Riku only shook his head and shrugged at Zexion.

Though, Roxas was having more difficult times. Axel had been able to shanghai the slipper from his grasp, and was now proceeding to beat down on his head. It was terrible, because the redheaded oaf was ruining his perfect hair (that, for reasons unknown to humans, had survived the wet snow). "Axel, you stupid girl!"

"_Girl?_ Now you've done it!" Axel mock-snarled, and took off his orange scarf. He had upgraded from slipper, to sopping-wet icy scarf. Every time it whacked the blond on the head, streams of water exploded and scattered about. Sora was becoming outraged at Axel's disregard for his home.

But, thanfully, Axel had some sort of teenage-ADD. For he soon wrapped the scarf around himself and pulled a pack of Camel's from his back pocket. I'm going outside to smoke. Anyone want to join me?

Sora and Roxas, who were ardent fans for George Harrison, and had cried when the man died of lung cancer; shook their head and made some sort of indistinct face. Demyx was too busy singing a song about butterflies and hippos that lived together on Lucky-Lucky Island, and Riku was too busy gawking at Demyx's oddly retarded song. Zexion was the only one who raised his hand.

"You all suck, by the way." Axel said, Zexion bummed a butt off of the fiery teen. They made their way to the door, and as it shut, Riku's curiosity got the best of him.

"What the fuck are you singing, man?" He pointed an accusatory finger at Demyx, who looked baffled by the question. Though, as his cheeks widened in a face-splitting grin, it was apparent that Riku was going to receive an answer along the borders of insanity.

"I, like, made it up myself! It's about this butterfly named Earl! And, Earl has a hippopotamus as a best friend. Her name is Sue. They go on adventures on Lucky-Lucky island, where they encounter many dangerous things. Like heffalumps and barboozles and wizzly-warters!"

"..What?"

"You'd never understand, Riku. You haven't reached my level of evolution." Demyx said this as though he were some sort of X-Man; crossing his arms with a satisfied look on his face. Roxas and Riku both shared a look, while Sora crooned and hugged the blond.

Thus was day two, track two.

* * *

**If-So-Facto:** I believe Janis Joplin is more beautiful than Marilyn Monroe. I tried to draw a comparison picture, but at four in the morning, Janis came out like a constipated 5 year old with a half-black face. 

**A/N:** I hate this chapter. So many big words that I'm going to pretend I understand. But, sadly, I don't think this is funny at all. I was being too descriptive. The next one will be 200 times better. I dunno what's wrong with me.

I've hit some sort of self-realization. My life's perspective has changed for me. I am currently writing because it is the only thing that keeps me from truly becoming insane. Now, I'm going to see what his cornerstone will bring me. I'm seeing life differently, and I hope you can wish me luck.

**Review? Tell me what you think? If just to tell me I'm groovy, or that I suck monkey balls with a side of testicular cancer.**


	3. Track Three

**Dedication: **This story is still dedicated to Meleiyu. Why? Go ask Alice. I think she'll know. (Let's see how many people get that reference).

**A/N:**I might just come close to sodomizing all of my reviewers. I am in loooooove with you all. Yum.

In other news: FLUUUUU! Thank you for making me clinically insane! Oh, the joy!

**I disclaim to claim the claimmage of claiming anything that has any relevance to any pop icon or anything. No ownie.**

* * *

_"When real music comes to me - the music of the spheres, the music that surpasses understanding - that has nothing to do with me, cause I'm just the channel. The only joy for me is for it to be given to me, and to transcribe it like a medium... those moments are what I live for."_

-John Lennon

* * *

When Axel and Zexion had found their way back into the abode, they noticed the dull and tiresome looks that had ceded control of the face of their peers. Axel gave an almost-frustrated noise, before he made a leap over the vinyl couch. The sole person who had laid claim to said furniture before, made an animalistic squeal; toppling to the floor head-first. 

"Axel!" Roxas made an indignant noise and sat up. He sent mental threats to the smug look that too hostage of Axel's face, and decided to cross his arms and pout a very manly pout.

"Well.. What're you two going to do to keep us entertained?" As Axel spoke those words, there were grumbles of approval, and before he twins could even inhale, all eyes were on them; attentively, and impatiently, awaiting their answers.

But the twins could only splutter for a response; their mouths opening and closing like Nemo out of water. "G'uh, video games?"

The idea was met with many a dead-panned look. "Seriously? Do we look like huge nerds to you?" Riku crossed his arms in a rather effeminate gesture, making sure to avoid eye contact.

"Well, I dunno. That's what my friends used to do. Listen to ol' tunes and play video games.." Roxas trailed off with a rather dejected look; suddenly feeling like a terrible host. With downcast eyes, he toed the carpet.

"Were you guys, like, stoned or whatever?"

There was a nonchalant shrug given from each twin, and the redhead rolled his eyes. "Nice.."

"But," Roxas waved his hands about in frantic gestures. "we're clean, man! No more for us!"

"You and your filthy Eastern ways." Axel shook this head and tutted at the twins, who both looked at each other with baffled expression. "Do you expect us to join in on your cult with them filthy Eastern ways; and take part in said filthy Eastern ways?"

"..No?"

"Okay, then." Axel winked. He then stood up and made gestures to get his cronies to stand with him; gestures that could be considered obscene in third world countries. But, his mates got the general idea, and mimicked his actions. "So, where are these 'video games' that you speak of?"

Roxas blinked, utterly confused. "D'uh.. Sora's room."

Zexion itched his cheek with utter apathy; before he began to slowly speak to the blond as if the teen were a challenged chimp. "Yeah, because we know where that is.."

Then it was Sora's turn to look dumb. He jumped up with an exaggerated fervor and made a beeline for his room. "Follow me, please."

Running full-force down a narrow hallway, Sora skidded to a halt in front of a door that was painted banana-yellow. "You ready for this, man?!" There were general nods and such before a grinning brunette took the time to kick open his door.

All eyes eagerly ate up every fiber of the room; from the Pooh-bear lamp, to the Captain Nemo bed-spread, and even the flower lining on the walls. All eyebrows rose.

"Well--" Riku coughed, "it's very, uh, _colorful."_

"I like it!" Demyx clapped his hands together and squealed, grabbing the smaller Sora and squishing him into his chest. "You're just so rad, man!"

Attempting to act arrogant, Sora gave a haughty laugh. "I was _born_ rad, my dear friend."

"Yeah, right." Roxas snorted, seemingly coming out of nowhere to push his way into his brother's room. "And I'm the queen of France."

"Pansy."

"Twat."

"Ass-tart."

"Uncle-fucker."

Demyx giggled in a manly way. "I love that movie!"

Roxas could only gape, finding a newfound affection for the teen with a mullet-hawk. A mawk. "Yo-You do?!"

"Yes!"

"Oh my god!"

"Ma' god!"

"Hugs!"

The two squealed and embraced each other in an overly-passionate hug; Demyx pinching the cheeks on Roxas' face, and Roxas not minding in the least. Soon enough they broke apart, though, they noted that the rest of the group had already migrated into the room.

"What're we playing?" Axel cocked his head to the side.

"Your mom," bellowed an ominous voice from within the small group. Axel honed in on several figures, and they all averted their gazes.

"Who said that?" Axel looked around the room with an apprehensive look; trying to stare down at the rest of the lot.

"..Your dad."

"I hate you."

"Whatever," it was Roxas who had stood up, before he sauntered over toward the television. Turning it on, he then bent over to rummage through the vast sea of games; tongue hanging out it concentration.

When he found what he was searching for, he sat up with a triumphant look on his face. He held the case in the air with a gentle touch, as if the game were sacred.

"That game's so old!" Axel made a whining noise, something akin to a fox with its leg caught in a bear trap, and folded his arms across his chest like a spoiled child. "I don't wanna!"

"Axel?" Riku gave his friend an incredulous look. "That used to be your favorite game, man. What are you whining about?"

Axel grinned innocently. "I dunno. Pop it in, dude! I want to kick some ass!"

"Like you'd ever defeat me and Roxy!" Sora stood and pointed a challenging finger at the redhead; who motioned toward said limb to chomp down on it. The brunette screeched and jumped back a precautionary foot or so. "Psycho!"

"Whatever, dude." Axel scrambled toward Roxas and snatched the remote from aforementioned blond's grip. "I am the l33t master of this game!"

"I can't believe you just said that.." Zexion tried to pretend that Axel did not chat-speak in real life, and laid a nice smack onto his own forehead.

Roxas only smiled warmly, before sitting up and walking toward what looked like a vintage record player. "It's all good, man. It's not his fault he's a total nerd."

But, Axel could not grace a response; too held up in playing the video game. His green eyes were wide and unblinking, and his mouth was ajar; as his concentration piqued. And, for the moment, he was pounding down on the 'X' button. "C'mon.. stupid!"

"Wow," Roxas laughed, before pulling out a CD. Demyx was baffled; wasn't that a record player? And it was Roxas who seemed to notice the other's confusion, and snorted whole-heartedly. "It's a CD player that looks like a record player, Dem."

Demyx let out sheepish laughter. "Ah.."

With that, Roxas popped in the _Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band_ album; before he pressed the play button. And, but ten seconds later, Sora let out a feminine squeal. "Yay!"

The blond winked at his brother, before taking a seat beside him. The two swayed to-and-fro to the music, their eyes fixated onto the screen before them. The rest of the troupe soon followed. And, by the next song, they were able to find themselves multi-tasking.

Each was doing their own little jig on the shag rug, singing loudly; while watching Axel play with intense looks in their eyes.

"_What would do think if I sang out of tune,  
Would you stand up and walk out on me?  
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song,  
And I'll try not to sing out of key.  
Oh I get by with a little help from my friends,  
He gets high with a little help from his friends,  
Oh, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends."_

Demyx yipped and threw an arm behind him, wrapping it around Sora's shoulder. He kicked his legs haphazardly over Riku's lap; and the silver-haired teen rolled his eyes in exasperation.

But it was he who led the next verse. "What do I do when my love is away?" He made a thoughtful face and leaned toward Zexion, who sighed.

He began to sing, his voice somewhat scratchy; somehow sounding like a bumblebee in a field of flowers."Does it worry you to be alone?"

Riku slapped the carpet and threw up his arms. "How do I feel by the end of the day?"

Zexion prodded Riku's shoulder with his index finger; inquiring that he wanted an answer. "Are you sad because you're on your own?"

Riku laughed. "No! I get by with a little help from my friends!"

Roxas joined in with Riku, scratching Demyx's head with a hand. "Get high with a little help from my friends!" He laughed when Demyx rubbed his face against his shoulder; the mulleted teen also giggling along.

"I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends!" Axel finally piped in his vocals, grinning like a man fresh out of the loony bin. He warbled a bit, before sliding onto the floor from atop his perch on the bed.

They continued on for a good while; until the twins' mother walked through the door. By the time she had arrived, they were half way through _A Day in The Life._

Axel was singing the part of Paul McCartney, allowing his voice to delve an octave lower. "Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head!"

"Found my way downstairs and drank a cup; and looking up, I noticed I was late!" Axel made an 'Oh, shit!' face. "Found my coat and grabbed my hat, made the bus in seconds flat! Found my way upstairs and had a smoke, and somebody spoke and I went into a dream.."

Demyx was the one who made the moaning sound, his body flowing gracefully along with the steady beat.

And Roxas joined in on the final verse. "I read the news today, oh boy! Four-thousand holes in--"

"Roxas! Sora!" Everyone in the room was thrown into a tizzy when the door was kicked open by a blond-haired, blued eyed woman. She was wearing a yellow sun-dress and grey leggings, while holding a bag of groceries and brandishing an umbrella with a dangerous glint in her eye.

When she saw her children, though, she seemed to settle down a tad. She smiled adoringly at her two children, before nodding at the rest. "Babies, who are these nice boys?"

"Oh, mom, right!" Sora sat up and mentally berated himself for forgetting to introduce his friends. "These are," he began to point to each teen as he ran names off, "Demyx.."

The teen, who was still sprawled out on the floor, sent the mother a blinding grin. The woman gave a jump at the bright smile, before smiling back.

"Zexion," the slate-haired teen glanced at the woman and gave her what seemed like a timid wave.

"Riku," When he heard his name, Riku winked at the woman and charmed her with a smile. She seemed to already love the boy in the span of six seconds.

"And Axel." The boy, who had been transfixed in the world of 2-D gamer-ism, looked toward the woman with a sly smirk. "What's a beautiful, young lady like you doing here in Hollow Bastion? It's too slimy a town for someone so.. _perfect_."

Mother could only blush a deep shade of scarlet, the soles of her feet digging into the carpet. "Oh, please.."

"Okay, then." Roxas stood and made a notion to leave the room. "Now that I'm going to have to brainwash myself into thinking that Axel is _not_ flirting with my mother.."

"Oh, Roxy Road!" His mother laughed and mussed up his hair. The blond made a pitiful noise, whimpering at the loss of his perfect-do. "You so silly!"

"But," she put her hands on her hips, obviously going into "mother" mode. "it's time for you boys to go. You can come back on Monday, and stay however long you want. But, my boys have to get ready to start school!"

"Poo," Demyx whined, stomping his foot in a childish manner. He pouted and crossed his arms. "I wanted to play!"

"Get over it," Zexion murmured, flicking Demyx in the back of the noggin. He began to stroll out the door and into the living room. "Thank you for letting us hang out in your pad, ma'am!"

All of the boys agreed, as each made their way out of the front door. And, when the last had left, Mom was grinning. Obviously, the boys had won her over.

"Sweethearts!" She danced her way over to the twins, who were now sitting on the kitchen counter. "You've already made nice, decent friends! I think I like them better than those other kids from the Islands!"

"Yeah, mom, they're cool!" Sora gave her his trademark mega-watt smile, his eyes closing shut. The dimples on his cheeks made him look like a five year old who had just stolen a cookie from the cookie jar. Roxas agreed.

"Good. Now, go pick out school clothes."

"But, we still have a day.."

"Nope. Tomorrow, we have stuff to do."

"What? No."

"Yes," she gave them a look that showed that this conversation was done with. And with that, the boys crawled back sluggishly into their respective rooms.

* * *

Sunday had been spent shopping. The twins had gone to the local mall, and their mother had forced them to buy three new outfits. Sora had, of course, complained; but was silenced when his mother threatened to lace his food with meat. 

By the time they had found themselves back home, it was well beyond sunset. So they had agreed to call it a day, and get a good night's sleep for the next day.

And, so it was. They both fell out of bed at six-thirty in the morning, groaning and whining like puppies right out the womb.

Roxas was the one to win himself the first shower, having pushed Sora back into his room when he left it. Sora stumbled backward and tripped over a shoe, crying out for help as he collapsed onto the floor.

So when all was done, there were two teens, clad in jeans and shirts and sweaters, staring at their cereal with a blank expression. Sora moved to take a bite of his Lucky Charms, but ended up spilling it all over his John Lennon t-shirt; which made his cry out in an almost woeful tone.

"Damn it."

"Language!" Their mother stepped in with a brilliant smile on her face. She made her way toward the boys and planted a kiss on their foreheads.

"Do we have to go?" Roxas turned to his mother, and gave her the baby face. His eyes got wide and watery, his eyebrows drawing together. His bottom lip seemed to suck up his upper lip, jutting out and quivering at the perfect pace. And even his cheeks puffed out and flushed a little.

But, Mother wouldn't have it. She avoided looking at the blond child, instead opting to look at the clock. "Boys, you have ten minutes to run to school. You've already missed the bus."

And with that, the twins ran out the door; not one for bad first impressions.

* * *

"Ch-Chris-st all-all-might-ty!" Roxas' legs felt light rubber bands as he stumbled into the main office; Sora already crawling pitifully on the floor, mourning over his loss of feeling in his legs. Roxas didn't care, though. 

He had told Sora to dress more warm. For, it was the middle of the winter.

"Hello," a chipper voice chirped from behind the blond; who screamed in surprise when the other figure in the room made herself known. "May I help you?"

"U-Um.." Roxas nodded, regaining his composure. Sora stood up as well, which startled the lady. "Yes. We're the transfer students?"

"Of course! We've been waiting for you!" With that, she disappeared underneath her desk momentarily, before resurfacing with several papers. "Here are your schedules, and some forms that your mom will have to fill out. Okay?"

"Okay!"

"Well, then, let me just show you your guide for today. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him. All right?" Her perfect teeth showed through ruby red lips, and the boys gave a small nod.

"Okie dokie then."

And then she bellowed for someone, who seemingly stepped out in shadows. He wore low-rise jeans that showed off his lean stomach, and a shirt that barely covered said torso. His hair could rival Roxas' in blond-ness, and his green, taunting eyes seemingly illuminated his predatory smile.

The twins gave a gulp, faces marred with despair.

"Hi. I'm Seifer. And I can tell we're gonna be friends, all right."

* * *

**End Track Three**

* * *

**A/N:** Dun Dun Dun! It's Seifer, everyone! What's he a-gonna do to the boys! OH NOES! D: 

And, no, I would never make Axel the guide! It'd be too awesome! And, besides, WHO DOESN'T LOVE SEIFER?! That stupid prick with a superiority complex! Ya!

AND NO DRUGS IN THIS STORY! Meleiyu is god of this story, and she said no! So, down!

**Review, because with out some I lose confidence. And I have no confidence, and apparently, I have no dignity; either.**


	4. Track Four

**Dedication**: Oh lawd, this is still for Meleiyu. Why? Because I've been waiting so long to be where I'm going—In the sunshine of her love. (Last chapter's song: "White Rabbit," by Jefferson Airplane.

**A/N: **Late, as per usual.

* * *

"_Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music."_ -Jimi Hendrix

* * *

"—And this here is the Cafeteria, where they'll shove your face in the grub if you disrespect—" Roxas decided then to tune Seifer out; realizing that the boy was just trying to scare them to the point of dropping out. He turned his attention to his gullible, naïve little brother—who was gaping at the leader as if he were soon to die.

And then Roxas shrugged his brother off. He'd have to explain to his brother that the other teen was lying, and then Sora would laugh and scratch the back of his head. With that thought, Roxas smiled to himself; he loved predicting his brother's moves.

The halls were… _colorful_, Roxas noted to himself; for lack of a better word. One corridor would look almost eerily dark and dismal, with black walls and navy lockers; and the next corridor would be vibrant, with eye-catching hues of oranges and pinks, flowers and sunshine and peace.

"Hey," Roxas poked Seifer in the back, and noticed that he quit his babbling. "This school seems.. uh.. how do you say 'colorful?'"

"Yeah, and?"

"Is this, like, some sort of art school?" Roxas looked down at the floor when he saw his brother face-palm and shake his head. Soon after, he heard a low hum of a chuckle come from Seifer, and felt his face heat up. "Okay, that was a stupid question."

"Yes. Yes, it was."

With that comment, Roxas opted to remain silent throughout the entirety of the tour. Even after the belled tolled with a loud shriek, and teenagers of every shape and size shuffled out of the respective homerooms and onto their first period classes.

He then heard his twin pipe up, a soft, uncertain voice. "Err, should we get going?" He offered a small, nervous in exchange for a reply.

Seifer gave the brunette a stony look, and picked imaginary lint off of his top. "Do you know where you're going, kid?"

With that, Sora's smile all but fell, and he twiddled his thumbs with anxiety. "No-o. Could you tell us?"

Seifer, although completely against doing anything kind for the twins, decided that it was better to help them, than to go against the school's whack-job of a principal. Snatching both schedule's roughly from the two boys' hands, he then gave them terse directions to their rooms.

"Well, then, see ya'." Seifer turned on his heel and strolled away, leaving the two boys alone in the hallway.

Roxas cleared his throat, staring at the painting to his right. A bloody torso lay before a gray backdrop; cuts and scrapes every which way. It was cut open as though on an autopsy table; the chest plate cracked and showing half of the heart, before showing a small intestine that was falling out of the body itself; along with a cut open stomach. The boy cringed, and turned back to his brother.

"Well," he took his brother's schedule and stared at it. "see you third period, Physics."

"Right." They shared reluctant smiles, before bumping fists and walking their respective ways.

* * *

"Room three-oh-two," Roxas stared at the numbers for a good while, as if making sure that the numbers were, indeed, correct. "English."

Reaching his hand out, he touched the cool metal, and opened the door in the slowest manner possible. When he stepped in, the room went silent. Feeling all eyes on himself, he looked up at his peers and waved; albeit awkwardly.

He made his way over to the teacher, who introduced himself as Mr. Turner. He had a deep British accent, and his entire appearance showed his kind and submissive disposition.

"Well, Roxas, you can take a seat wherever you see and available one." The blond nodded and mumbled a quick word of gratitude, before scanning the room. His eyes almost immediately zoomed in on an untamed bush of brick red hair.

"..Axel," he whispered to himself, walking as calmly as possible toward the deserted seat beside the redhead. As the blond settled himself, he studied the calm look on the redhead's face. His eyes were closed, his head resting on his hands; which were situated over his ears. His lips were curved upwards, in a smile almost innocent in its appearance.

Then, he began to sing in a hushed voice: "I look inside myself and see my heart is black; I see my red door and it has been painted black." His voice raised a little, gaining momentum. "Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts, it's not easy facin' up when your whole world is black.."

Mr. Turner looked up from the textbook, and sent a disapproving look Axel's way. But, Axel had begun to hum, completely oblivious to the classroom—the irked teacher and the giggling students.

But, before anything could happen, the door was swung open and a man stumbled inside. He wore a head wrap over his dreadlocked hair, and his attire could hardly be called "professional." His chin hair was braided, with beads keeping the braid intact.

"William, my dear ol' friend!" He rushed over to the man and flung an arm haphazardly over his prey's shoulder. "I haven't seen you in weeks, mate! Where you been?"

"On vacation, Jack. It _was_ Christmas break, you know?" Mr. Turner seemed all-but annoyed with the man's antics, but a ghost of a smile graced his features.

'Jack's' arm fell from his friend's shoulders, and he straightened himself up; apparently, he'd forgotten. "Of course I knew, mate. I always know when I don't have to come to his pit of dread."

"Of course, Jack. Now," Will's face went from amused to annoyed, "why have you disrupted my classroom?"

"Oh, no reason." Jack gave a hearty chuckle and dashed from the room before the English teacher had the chance to bash him over the head with the nearest inanimate object. Roxas blinked, confused, when the teacher took a deep inhale and continued on as thought nothing ever happened. The laughter soon died out, as well.

Apparently, this happened with alarming regularity.

"That's Captain Jack Sparrow," whispered a voice dangerously close to his ear. The boy jumped with surprise, and gawked at Axel, who waved his hand an inch from Roxas' face. "Hello."

"Hi, and _Captain_?" Roxas inquired, as the redhead sat back in his desk. The taller teen nodded.

"Yup. He used to be in the Navy, or something. He tells really boss stories about his life before he became a teacher, though sometimes he stretches the truth a tad. He teaches marine biology to the Seniors."

"Oh," Roxas nodded. "Why is he a teacher, then? Why not stay in the Navy?"

Axel looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I take it's because he met Sir William up there. He and his girlfriend took Jack in, or something. I don't really know the story too well, but I do know that those two are best friends. Crazy, right?" He sat back in his desk and snorted. "They look like they have no common interests, and have polar personalities. But, I guess that's cool. Whatever. I'm rambling," he picked his nails, a dull expression on his face. "I need to get outta here. You want to come?"

_Not really, _Roxas thought to himself, though he only shrugged in response. "How are you going to get us both out of here?"

At that, Axel pouted at the blond. "Roxie, baby, do you have no trust? Just wait and see." With that, he stood up and sauntered over to the desk. He grabbed a tissue, and as he walked back to his desk, his ankle suddenly rolled, and he stumbled forward.

"Oh, god and Jesus all-mighty!" Axel cursed under his breath, before sending a sharp look to Roxas; who stood up and rushed over to the "injured" redhead. "A-Axel, are you alright?"

"I dunno, kid, can you take me to the nurse?" He sent a pleading look toward Mr. Turner, who rolled his eyes and nodded to the two.

"Go ahead."

Axel thanked the man like he were some sort of omnipotent being, and allowed himself to be dragged out of the room by the much smaller blond. As the door closed behind them, he stood and straightened himself out. He winked at the blond, before he began to walk; Roxas tagging behind.

"Thanks for the help, man. I would've died if I spent another five minutes in there. My MP-3's about to die, you know? That cheap piece of junk.." He took said object out of his pant's pocket and gave it a dirty look.

"That sucks."

"Totally, man." Axel then changed the subject, obviously not one to dwell. "We should head over to Denny's, or something. I haven't eaten today, you know?"

"Sure." Roxas smiled at the taller man, who ruffled his hair. "I'll get me some delicious orange juice."

"That's what I'm talking about, buddy!" The teen roared a laugh and slapped Roxas on the back with all the force he could muster. Leaning on the blond, Axel directed him this way and that, until they found themselves at one of the many exits of the school. They pushed open the door to be greeted with harsh, cold air nipping at their skin.

"I should've worn a coat today." Axel mused, as he wrapped his arms around Roxas' thin frame. "Roxie, baby, keep me warm."

"Axel," Roxas laughed, wrapping his arms around the redhead as well, "I don't have my coat, either. I think I forgot it in the main office.. Oh, well."

"You forgetful little bastard." Axel laughed, as his foot came down upon a puddle of gray mush. "Ew, gross. I hate dirty snow, man. So ugly."

"Get over it, you little girl," Roxas teased, pinching Axel's side. The redhead jumped, and then thumped Roxas' head with a chuckle.

"Not a girl, but an artist. There's a big difference, my friend." He then turned himself and Roxas down a series of side streets before they stood before a building.

They were freezing and red, and drenched to the bone—so the warm interior of the building felt heavenly as it burned their skin. An older looking lady was staring at them with a knowing look in her eyes, and they immediately released each other; Roxas' blush hidden under his frozen cheeks, and Axel winking at the woman.

She soon led them toward a booth, where the duo situated themselves in the comfortable seats. Roxas ordered a tall glass of juice, while Axel ordered a hot chocolate and pancakes. The woman nodded, smiled, and pranced away.

"So," Roxas tapped the table in an ordered pattern, looking Axel in the eye. Jade green eyes stared back at him, and thin, pink lips curved upward in a smile.

"So..?"

"I don't know?" Roxas chuckled, slapping his forehead. Axel chuckled as well, before reaching into his back pocket. In a fit of habit, Roxas' head leaned to the left. "What you got there?"

"Cards," was the simple response, and the blond blinked.

"Cards?"

"Yes."

"You want to play cards?"

The redhead nodded, looking up at the blond as he shuffled the deck. He spoke slowly, as if the blond were slow. "Yes, Roxas. Cards. As in, there's for kinds: Hearts, Diamonds, Spades and Clubs. The numbers range from—"

"Yeah, yeah. I know, you jerk!" Roxas folded his arms in front of his chest, and then looked up as a waitress placed a glass in front of him. "Oh, thank you."

She smiled warmly at him, before handing Axel a mug filled with his hot chocolate. Axel clapped like the giddy child he was and beamed at the woman, who laughed and went back to fetch his pancakes.

"So," Roxas watched as Axel sucked up the frothy whipped cream on the top, before licking the white substance with his lips. "What are we playing?"

"Well," Axel, tapped his chin in thought. "You ever played 45's?"

"Once," Roxas replied coolly, taking a sip from his glass. "I'm not too good."

"I can teach you." He offered a genuine smile, but Roxas shook his head.

"I don't trust you. You'd probably jip me."

At that, Axel looked truly offended. His brows drew together, and his lips curved downward. And, as for Roxas, he was soon struck with regret. "I was kidding, Ax."

"Oh." Axel laughed his brash, obnoxious laugh, and reached over to pinch Roxas' cheek. "You're cute. D'you know that?"

Again, his cheeks tinged pink. Roxas sunk lower into his chair, his pride slowly being scratched away by the teen before him. He looked up at the ceiling. "Jerk."

"I know, you've told me." Axel grinned, obviously enjoying the torment he was causing the shorter teenager. A plate of hot cakes suddenly appeared under his noise, and he let out a squeal of delight, before slathering maple syrup on the confectionaries and ravaging the first cake.

"You want one?" Roxas shook his head, and Axel shrugged and dug back in.

Axel, Roxas realized, ate with his mouth open—which meant that he could hear the annoying sound of his tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth every time the boy chewed. He ate like a man who hasn't eaten a scrap of food in ages. It made Roxas gag.

"You could eat with your mouth closed, you know?"

Axel nodded, and took his time swallowing before gracing Roxas with a response; which was something roxas appreciated immensely. "I know. But, I don't wanna."

"Why not?" Roxas whined, crossing his arms yet again. Axel snorted.

"Because it makes you angry, love."

"You're such a dick," Roxas pointed out, before he twirled his straw around with boredom.

"Yeah, but you love it." Axel winked. "And don't you dare try to deny it."

And Roxas found he was unable to disagree.

* * *

After Axel had finished ravishing his food—and Roxas had stopped criticizing his eating habits—they found themselves once again clinging to each other as they wandered the streets. Both had agreed that it was too early to head back to school, seeing as only forty-five minutes had passed. They wandered into a park, and cleared a bench of slush and such.

"It's too wet," Roxas commented, motioning to the bench itself. Axel snorted, before taking a seat himself.

"You're so high maintenance, man." He grabbed the blond's wrist and pulled Roxas onto his lap. "I'm cold. Keep me warm, now."

Roxas blew a stand of hair out of his face, and struggled out of Axel's lap; sitting beside the boy instead. "I honestly think you're retarded, Ax."

"I love you, too, _Sunshine_." The nickname he was given dripped and oozed sarcasm. Roxas punched the boy in the arm.

They fell into a companionable silence, Axel's head resting on top of Roxas' mane, Roxas' eyes slowly closing shut. Axel began to hum the song he had been singing earlier; which woke Roxas up slightly. The boy yawned, and felt the redhead's throat tickle the top of his head.

"Axel?" Roxas craned his head upward to get a better look at the redhead. Said teen looked down at the blond with a raised eyebrow.

"What song is that?"

"The Rolling Stones. You know 'em?"

"Yeah, Sora's obsessed with them. " Roxas laughed. "He always yells at me when we talk about bands. I prefer the Beatles, but he insists that the Stones are better. We've yet to concede on that matter."

"Ah. What a question. Honestly," Axel directed his line of vision toward the sky. "You can't really compare them. I mean, they're both extraordinary bands. Both have contributed greatly to make music as it is today. But then again, if you think about it, there are far too many amazing bands from that era. Add in Cream, the Dead, Hendrix, Santana, the Animals, and such others—it's hard." Axel chuckled.

"True that." Roxas smiled. He felt his pocket vibrate violently, and he pulled out his phone. "Oh, it's a message from Sora."

"What does he want?"

Roxas snorted. "Chill out, man. We need to get back to school. Good ole Zexion apparently shoved Sora into a locker. We need to save him."

"Nice," Axel stood up and stretched, before offering a hand to Roxas. "Let's go save that little dope."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Roxas and Axel found themselves scouring the hallways for the brunette. "He's supposed to be knocking, so listen sharp."

"Right-o," Axel nodded, his face suddenly more serious. Apparently, Axel took this predicament as a serious Search-and-Rescue. Roxas laughed to himself.

Then, to their right, they heard a faint tapping. Roxas rushed over and called for his brother, who gave a sheepish response back. "Can you _please_ get me out. It's Zexion's locker, if that's any help."

"Good thing it is, kid." Axel smiled at the metal door, before turning the combination lock over and over before, with a click, the opened the door. Sora stumbled out, and fell to his knees. He then looked up at Axel and clung to the boy's leg. "Thank you _so, so_ much!"

Axel laughed, and patted the boy on the head. "No problem-o, little man. What'd you do to piss of Zexy?"

Sora looked indignant to respond, before he began to flail his arms around like a madman. "I didn't do anything, I swear! Demyx came to me and offered to play patty-cake, and I didn't want to say no so I did and then Zexion got annoyed, punched Demyx, and shoved me into that-that _thing_!"

There was a pregnant pause, before Axel's laugh rang throughout the hallways. He was soon doubled-over and beet-red. "Sora, you are a million bucks, you know that? I-I love you, kid!"

Sora and Roxas shared a look, their faces eerily alike. And they both, out of habit, tilted their heads to the left. "What?"

Axel took his sweet time calming down, wiping tears from his eyes and giving a snort every now and then. "I can't believe you did that. Okay, okay. Zexion absolutely _despises_ that game, because Demyx is constantly forcing him to play it. So, he made a vowed to shove anyone who played that with Demyx into a locker, and leave them there until the next day. You got lucky, kid."

Sora looked close to tears. "All night? Oh my gosh!" He rubbed his face, before giving a weak chuckle. "I guess I'm glad I had my phone, or else I'd be in deep trouble, huh?"

"You guess right," Axel nodded and helped the brunette up. The boy dusted off his buttocks and gave a helpless smile.

"So, what took you guys so long?"

"Roxas took me for breakfast." Axel faked a pout and glanced at Roxas, who made a noise.

"Roxie!"

"Look, Sora, I-I can explain." Roxas chewed on his lip and looked his brother in the eyes. Sora shook his head and laughed.

"You didn't invite me, you jerk!" He gave his brother a playful shove, and Roxas could help but grin at his antics. They wrestled for a few, before both were too busy trying to wheeze in breath to fight.

"Ho-hum," Axel rocked his head from side to side, tapping his foot on the linoleum. "I don't feel like class, today. I have a show at eight." His eyes suddenly lit up with a thought. "Hey, you guys wanna come help me get ready?"

"Sure!" Sora crowed with delight; he'd never been one for studies, or indoor places for that matter. Roxas, of course, nodded along. He didn't feel like being without his brother on the first day of school.

"Sweet deal, man." Axel rejoiced, stepping between the two and resting his arms on their shoulders. "I do believe that Riku's in gym, at the moment. So, I'll just go get him. You two, gather your belongings, and meet me by the gym doors in five."

When the two nodded, Axel saluted then and marched off.

* * *

"Why did I have to come, Axel?" Riku gave the redhead a bland look, and Axel gave him an innocent look.

"Because you _love_ me and you're my _bestest_ friend?"

Riku shook his head, and started the ignition of his car. "I call bullshit. It's because I'm a free ride."

"That, too." Axel smiled, before puckering his lips together. "Does Riku want a kiss? Axel will make the Mondays all better." He leaned over, only to be slapped away from the boy. Riku's turquoise-colored gazed bore into Axel.

"What'd I tell you about trying to kiss me? I don't like your slobber all over my face." He veered out of the parking lot and began to speed away. Axel sat back in his seat with a frown.

"Party pooper."

"Damn straight," Riku replied with a nod. He then winked at Axel and smirked that cocky smirk of his. "Someone has to keep you in line."

Axel deemed it fit not to respond; instead staring out of the window with a bank look on his face. He looked in the rearview mirror and saw Sora, who noticed Axel staring at him. Axel waved, and Sora waved back. They then began to make faces at each other and giggling like idiots.

It took an entirety of five minutes to reach Axel's home. It was a run-down sort of place, with dead weeds climbing up the sides of the house, the fading paint that went from white to a shade of almost black. The door was chipped and peeling, and when Axel came to it he only had to push the door with his fingers.

They walked inside, and each member took off their sneakers and followed the redhead up the stairs. When they reached the top of the steps, Axel beamed at them, before announcing in a dramatic tone:

"Welcome, friends, to the most whimsical, magical room you'll ever see. Ever."

He opened the door with a wild grin, and stood out of the way for everyone. Riku, of course, scoffed at the overly-dramatic teen.

Roxas and Sora, on the otherhand, rushed into the room. The walls were painted Prussian blue, but were basically covered with posters, and other knick-knacks. The bed had an assortment of blankets and sheets, and had an ebony-colored Gibson Flying V resting atop it. To the side of the bed rested a sitar and Ibanez Acoustic. Roxas whistled.

"How much was your electric, Axel?" Sora looked genuinely interested, so Axel smiled. "A shit-ton of money. I had to work my ass off for the longest time. It's an original, 1957."

"Wow.." Sora admired the piece of work, making sure to look, but not touch. Axel had to laugh, and looked at Roxas.

"You're brother's a smart kid, you know?"

Roxas nodded. "Well, he's got good intentions. Ever since we were little he's been like this."

"Heh." Axel made his way to the bed, and sat beside his guitar. "Well, this is my room. It's tiny, but it's perfect. I like it, and if you don't see how epic this room is, then I don't care." He winked at the twins, who stood baffled.

"So," Riku took the redhead's electric and sat it on his lap. He strummed an obscure, random note and glanced at the redhead. "Where you playing tonight?"

"Oh, nowhere really. There's this show in the next town. A couple bands are playing, and they want me to join them." Axel chewed on his thumbnail. "But, I hear that some scouts are coming to check it out." Riku's eyes widened a fraction and Axel chuckled. "Nah, no one big, just some companies from around here."

"Well, still. You need a break, Axel." Riku offered a small smile, and picked at the strings some more. "Not as good as me, but still good." With that, Riku grinned and Axel laughed, and the latter shoved his friend.

Sora squealed. "Axel, when you become a famous musician, what do you think you're going to do?" He clapped his hands in delight and sat down on the floor with his brother.

"Well, I don't know, kid." He laughed. "I'd like to get nice and famous, so I can do something like kidnap Roxas and force him to live with me. And, of course, make sure that no one knows where he is." He winked at the blond, who looked like he didn't know if he should laugh or cry. "Just kiddin', Roxie."

"Yeah, yeah." Roxas waved him off, leaning back on his arms. He gulped and forced himself to look out the window. For reasons unknown to him, that comment didn't scare him so much as he'd hoped. But, he chalked it off as Axel's typical behavior; and thus he didn't react too much.

They passed the time in a hurry, Riku singing several songs, with Axel and the twins laughing and clapping along. When school ended, they found themselves in the company of Demyx, who ran over to the sitar and embraced it as if it were a lover.

Soon, a band of teenagers found themselves hungry and without food. Raiding Axel's fridge brought up fruitless results. They bounded out the door, and wandered the streets until they happened upon a 7-11. The boys found themselves grateful to find the haven, and stormed the place.

They grabbed bags of chips, several Slurpees, and an assortment of candies. After a round of the nose game, Sora found himself the one being forced to pay for all the goods. Reluctantly, he handed over the money.

As the crew walked back to Axel's abode, Roxas found himself trailing behind with the redhead. He was munching on a bag of Smartfood popcorn, and humming to himself. Roxas noted that the teen always 

had a song in his head. _And that's probably all that's in that noggin of his_, Roxas thought with a chuckle; which brought Axel to attention.

The teen smiled and raised a brow. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing." Roxas' chuckles soon died out, though Axel was still eyeing him like a hawk. Now, it was his turn to be confused. "Can I help you?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Axel wrapped his arm around Roxas' shoulder. "You know, I've been thinking."

"Oh?" Roxas craned his head upwards, a smile on his plump lips. Axel nodded.

"I was thinking, that if I _were_ to try to kidnap you, would you allow me to?"

Roxas choked on his air, before giving a tiny laugh. "Axel c'mon.."

"No, I'm serious." The tone of voice he used unnerved Roxas, who began to pick at his index finger.

"Well, then.. Yes. I guess I would let you. I've grown to trust you." Roxas gave the boy an endearing smile, which Axel happily returned.

"Good." Axel suddenly shook his head. "Man, Roxie, I want to punch you right now."

"Uh, why?"

"I think I'm falling for you, kid."

* * *

**End Track Four**

* * *

**A/N:** Well, then. This chapter ended nicely, huh? Nothing too exciting happened, for which I apologize. I'm sorry if it bored you.

Review, por favor.


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